The demonstrations, which began on November 17, sparked on Saturday Paris’ worst rioting in decades, with protesters clashing with police, setting fire to vehicles and looting shops around the capital’s famed Champs Elysees avenue

In his address, Philippe said the anger on the streets « originates from a profound injustice: of not being able to live with dignity from one’s work

The French who have donned yellow vests want taxes to drop, and work to pay. That’s also what we want, » he said, adding: « No tax is worth putting the nation’s unity in danger

He also announced that increases in the cost of gas and electricity, which were also set to take effect from January 1, would be suspended for three months during the winter months

Philippe added that a tightening of the technical assessment for cars, which was set to penalise heavily polluting older vehicles, would also be halted for six months

The yellow vest protests were originally spurred by a squeeze on household spending brought about by President Emmanuel Macron’s taxes on diesel, which he says are necessary to combat climate change and protect the environment

However, they have since evolved into a bigger, general anti-Macron uprising, with many criticising the president for pursuing policies they claim favour the richest members of French society

We felt it was going to be very, very hard because we saw the rage, the exasperation, especially from retirees. They should have withdrawn [the tax hikes] right away. The more you let a conflict fester, the more you eventually have to concede

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen lashed out at the decision as too little, tweeting that it was obviously not up to the expectations of the French people struggling with precarity

The yellow-vest demonstrations are the most serious protests France has seen since Macron’s election in 2015 [Gonzalo Fuentes/ Reuters]

Four people have been killed in the three-week-long protests, including an 80-year-old woman who died in hospital on Sunday after being hit by a tear gas canister in Marseille

Protests in Paris on Saturday turned particularly violent, with the Arc de Triomphe defaced and avenues off the capital’s Champs Elysees suffering damage. More than 100 people were injured in the violence

Paris police said 412 people were arrested during the clashes in Paris on Saturday and 363 remained in custody, according to the latest figures

Macron and Philippe’s approval ratings hit new lows in the wake of the crisis, according to an Ifop-Fiducial poll for Paris Match and Sud Radio that was published on Tuesday

The president’s approval rating fell to 23 percent in the poll conducted late last week, down six points from the previous month, while the prime minister’s rating fell 10 points to 26 percent